Increasing your stamina for soccer can be a daughnting task, especially when you think that you have to run for 90 minutes and still be fine at the end of it. Furthermore, you may find that just running doesn’t increase your stamina for soccer. This is because the energy systems at work for soccer are a little more complicated.
To increase stamina for soccer, you will have to improve fitness levels for both the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems. Although soccer may use the anaerobic system more so than the aerobic system, both play a crucial role in supporting the other. Incorporating HIIT aerobic workouts would be the best method for increasing overall stamina.
We’ll have to discuss soccer in terms of how the body functions and uses energy when playing the sport. Once we know that, we’ll need to understand the energy systems, as well as what types of exercise there is, and how to combine them to create better overall stamina for soccer.
Soccer overview
Professional soccer is arguably a sport that requires some of the fittest players on the planet. For 90 minutes, a player has to sprint up and down a 120m (131 yards) grass pitch zig-zagging, stopping, reversing, kicking, jumping, and outmaneuvering other players.
Soccer players cover so much ground in a match that it equates to a 10km (6mile) run every time they step out onto the field. When compared to other professional sports, the only other athletes that professional soccer players were compared to were that of marathon runners, ironman triathletes, pro cyclists, and cross country skiers.
We now understand that soccer players are some of the world’s fittest athletes, but their fitness relies not just on one aspect or factor. Their fitness incorporates both speed, stamina, dexterity, and strength.
For the most part, when an individual train, they will be focusing on one of these aspects of exercise (which we will cover below). However, a soccer player needs to be able to incorporate them all, or at least to get fit for soccer; one would need to understand what energy processes are taking place within the body so as to train and exercise utilizing these systems, hence making them fitter and fit enough for soccer.
One thing to note is that unlike other sports, soccer is an explosive sport. This means the players must be able to explode with intensity from a stationary position. Furthermore, they are more so sprinting rather than jogging, making the game quick and the level of fitness more intense. Soccer players have to create at a split seconds notice intense short bursts of speed, quickly change direction, and conduct very skillful actions, all the while moving at high speed.
What type of exercise can we classify soccer as?
We briefly touched on what type of factors will play a role in soccer in terms of fitness (stamina, speed, dexterity, and strength). Let’s classify exercise and see into what categories we can place soccer.
Classifying exercise
We can classify exercise into four main categories, and they are namely;
- Endurance
- Strength
- Balance
- Flexibility
As we can see, soccer would fall under all of these categories, so what is the best way to build stamina and fitness for soccer? Well, let’s take a look at what energy systems are at work regarding a soccer player, and when combined with one or more of these four categories of exercise, we will be able to determine what is the best way to get fit and build stamina for soccer.
What energy systems does soccer use?
The body uses only two energy systems to produce energy, and those systems are namely the anaerobic and aerobic systems. Both of them function very differently from one another, and we have to consider which one soccer utilizes the most.
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise utilizes oxygen to break down glucose to provide energy to the body. Aerobic exercise can be sustained for long periods of time (usually longer than 10 minutes), is continuous, and somewhat slow going from moderate to high intensity.
This type of energy system enhances cardiovascular and muscular endurance, and therefore, this type of exercise will be prevalent when the individual does the same activity at the same intensity level for a prolonged period of time.
Hence we can categorize sports such as running, swimming, and cycling as aerobic exercise. If we have to compare this to soccer, the only comparison we can make is that a soccer player is continuously running for the duration of 90 minutes.
Therefore a soccer player has to be aerobically fit in order to be able to endure 90 minutes of continuous running.
However, we now know that soccer requires fast, explosive movements that need to be sustained in addition to running continuously for 90 minutes. Therefore, the aerobic energy system will not be the central energy system that soccer players need to have sustained fast, explosive stamina.
Anaerobic exercise
Anaerobic exercise means”without oxygen.” This means that this energy system in the body breaks down glucose without the use of oxygen. Anaerobic exercise is more intense yet shorter in duration than that of its counterpart aerobic exercise.
In a little more detail, glucose is converted to ATP via the process of glycolysis. A bi-product of this process is lactic acid which is produced at an increased rate during this type of exercise.
Comparing this to soccer, we can see that the two coincide quite precisely with one another. Anaerobic exercise is a fast-paced, explosive exercise sustained for a short duration, and soccer in regards to its momentum is the same. Hence we can safely assume that the two work in conjunction with one another.
Understanding how to get fit and increase stamina for soccer
We now understand that definitely, yes, a soccer player has to train or at least have the capacity in terms of endurance to run for a sustained period of time (90 minutes – the length of a soccer match). Hence one aspect of training should encompass aerobic exercise.
However, soccer utilizes short, powerful bouts of sprinting continuously, and this requires the understanding that if you want to get fit and have increased stamina for soccer, you will have to train the anaerobic energy system more frequently than that of the aerobic system.
Therefore to build stamina (fitness) for soccer, a player has to exercise both energy systems. Taking into consideration the four types of exercise and considering the principles of soccer, we will need to train endurance and strength utilizing the anaerobic and aerobic energy systems.
What type of exercise (fitness program) can we use to increase the anaerobic system?
By utilizing anaerobic exercise, the body is able to get fitter and stronger more quickly; however, the caveat is that it is much more taxing on the body, and furthermore, just because you are fit in terms of your body being able to utilize the anaerobic energy system effectively, this does not mean you will have prolonged stamina over a prolonged period of time.
Take into consideration and keep in mind the anaerobic energy system does not use oxygen to process energy, so when you are fit in this regard, it does not necessarily mean you will be able to do an activity for a sustained period of time. The two energy systems are different, and even though they overlap, they can never be replaced by the other.
HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training)
In terms of building stamina (endurance) for soccer in terms of anaerobic exercise, the best possible way to do that would be to utilize a HIIT program. This type of training is based on a strategy where you push your body to the extreme for a short period of time and then take a break. This type of workout is fast-paced, explosive training.
For example, sprinting for as long and as hard as you can and then rest for 30 seconds repeating the process again till exhaustion. In terms of the principles of soccer and the underlying energy systems, it uses HIIT will provide you in building stamina for the anaerobic energy system.
Types of HIIT training programs to increase stamina for soccer
Now there are many types of HIIT training programs utilizing calisthenics (bodyweight), actual weights (dumbbells and barbells), machines, and more. However, we have to keep in mind that soccer requires the power and explosiveness to come from the legs, so basing a HIIT training program where you would use weights and train your upper body would not benefit a soccer player at all and would not increase his overall stamina on the pitch.
Hence the best type of HIIT program would be a program or exercise that uses the legs in an explosive fast manner. We could then overlook all the other HIIT programs and create HIIT workouts based on sprinting and stopping.
HIIT soccer stamina workout table
| HIIT Workout | Work / Rest Intervals | Sets | Total Duration | Benefits |
| Sprint | 30 sec / 4min | 4 – 6 | 18 – 27 min | This calls for maximum effort, and although the rest period is long, it should give you time to recover so you can push harder. |
| Short Sprint | 8 sec / 12 sec | 60 | 20 min | This type of workout is best used for conditioning |
| One-to-one Sprint | 30 sec / 30 sec | 10 | 10 min | This is a moderate HIIT workout and can be easily adapted depending on your needs |
| Tempo Sprints | 40-yard sprint / Walk back | max | 10 min | This is one of the most effective workouts for conditioning |
| Soccer Sprints (Sports Specific) | 15 sec / 35 sec | 7 – 10 | 6 – 8 min | You can simulate a live situation by changing the time durations’ frequency to match a real game more effectively in terms of soccer. |
What type of exercise (fitness program) can we use to increase the aerobic system
Even though the anaerobic energy system plays a much larger role in the principles of soccer, aerobic fitness can not be ignored, and if you want overall stamina, you will need to exercise this system so that your body can utilize oxygen properly in order for you to perform (in this case run) more consistently for an extended period of time.
General aerobic exercise (running and cycling)
We know from our brief explanation of aerobic exercise that it would be classified as an individual sustaining the same activity for a period of time. Again, we need to relate this to soccer and its principles.
There would be two significant forms of aerobic exercise that would increase overall stamina for the aerobic system: running and cycling.
Types of aerobic programs to increase stamina for soccer (cycling)
You may think that cycling does not play a part in soccer, and you would be correct; however, remember that the body adapts very quickly to any fitness regiment it is given, and the ability to get fit is based on how hard your body has to work.
Therefore, because cycling utilizes the same major muscle groups as running, you can incorporate it to shock the system, increasing fitness levels. This is not just hearsay; cycling will actually improve your overall running stamina (endurance), which is needed for soccer.
Types of aerobic programs to increase stamina for soccer (running)
Without us having to go into too much detail, you will have to run if you want to increase your running stamina. Furthermore, if you want to improve your overall aerobic systems fitness level for running, you will need to run for an extended period of time.
Soccer players basically run non-stop for 90 minutes, and as we said, they average about 10km (6 miles) every time they step onto the field.
The first step in being able to run 90 minutes is to exercise being able to run for 90 minutes. It may seem a bit facile, but if you are able to withstand a workout that has you running for 90 minutes, you will be one step closer to being more fit and having more stamina for soccer.
Can you combine aerobic and anaerobic training, and does it relate to soccer?
We have now discussed that soccer uses both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems in its principles of fitness. Do keep in mind that the anaerobic system is used more so; however, you will need to have an overall level of fitness (aerobic fitness) in order to last for the duration of a match.
One of the best possible ways to increase your stamina level for soccer would be to implement both types of fitness together, both anaerobic and aerobic.
One thing to note is that this article covers how to increase stamina levels for soccer and not how to get fit quickly. Again, stamina is relative in terms of soccer because you require the use of both energy systems. An individual wanting to increase his stamina will be of a certain fitness level and may only be able to train the energy systems separately, depending. Individuals who are more fit can interchange the systems and the workouts that are best suited for them and will get them the best results.
HIIT aerobic training
If you are fit enough, you will incorporate both HIIT (anaerobic) with aerobic workouts together, increasing your fitness for both and, therefore, your overall stamina for soccer. The principle is relatively simple.
You would incorporate a HIIT program such as in the table we illustrated above for you, but then instead of resting or stopping, you would break down into a jog and not rest.
This would implement both energy systems; however, the caveat is that it would be severely taxing, and most individuals who are not fit would not be able to sustain this type of training.
Then what would happen is the training would fall into anaerobic exercise due to the fact that the individual would have to stop and rest. Remember that aerobic exercise is for sustained periods of time (jogging).
The same could be done with cycling. You would cycle at a moderate to a high level of intensity, breaking out every so often to incorporate HIIT into the workout. This would again increase stamina for both energy systems; therefore, it would increase stamina for running, and hence increasing overall stamina for soccer.
Conclusion
We discovered that soccer is arguably one of the most challenging professional sports in the world when it comes to the demand for fitness on the body. We also discovered that soccer utilizes two energy systems at its core while most other sports only utilize one.
These energy systems are the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. For increased stamina and fitness, the body needs to be fit and capable of effectively using both these energy systems.
Furthermore training the one will not train the other and hence being fit at the one will not make you fit at the other.
So in terms of increasing your stamina, it would depend on how fit you are and which energy systems you are more fit at. Understanding this, you would then need to exercise each system accordingly and perhaps one more than the other utilizing specific programs (HIIT or general aerobic exercise).
Lastly, if you are fit enough, you could incorporate both HIIT and aerobic exercise, increasing your stamina dramatically, effectively, and quickly.
